


The Monarchs of Alderaan

by AppoApples



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: 13 BBY, Alternate Universe, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28031124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppoApples/pseuds/AppoApples
Summary: A slight blip in the timeline: 19 years later, Bail and Breha Organa have raised the Skywalker twins as their own. Coming of age as the Sith are ready to declare war on one another, Prince Luke Organa discovers there are no easy answers. The Jedi, the Republic, the Separatists, the Imperials are as mere chess pieces. AU 13BBY Prequels meets OrigTri with catastrophic consequences.
Relationships: Bail Organa/Breha Organa, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 24
Kudos: 84





	1. One Thing Leads to Another

Dyslexia: We die like men! I've been dying all my life ;D

Summary: It was a blip in time, a breath released between two lungs. Senator Bail Organa watched the Republic die, and a dear friend. Separating the twins seemed like the last injustice that Bail could comprehend, the Force agreed. One righteous Senator was not enough to halt the Sith. However, Alderaan's place in the galaxy has been a long time coming. AU, Luke and Leia raised in the age of the Republic.

Chapter 1 - One Thing Leads to Another

_Until the time is right, disappear we will._

Senator Bail Organa couldn't rightly explain what he was feeling.

_So this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause._

Padmé's words echoed in his mind.

How had they missed this? How had they not seen…

Had the Republic been so corrupt that it deserved this fate?

Flashes of the Temple cut through Bail's mind.

The Jedi weren't perfect, but the war hadn't been their fault. Not that laid solely on the Senate, a Senate that had allowed Palpatine to gain unspeakable power because of convenience, because they couldn't do their jobs.

Padmé was going-

Bail caught himself against the wall.

_Padmé is dead._

He shut his eyes, thinking of Anakin, of the clones...

"How could you do this to us? _Why_ did you betray us?"

Though if the clones never had a choice of their own fates, maybe it didn't matter who was at the end of their blasters.

Yet Bail couldn't believe that. Yesterday, Bail would have staked his life on the 501st Legion turning on their General before shooting down innocents.

_So why?_

Bail straightened, he still had responsibilities, even if the galaxy had plunged itself into terror and nightmare by choice.

Entering the nursery, he took first Leia from the medic droid and then Luke in his other arm.

These were Padmé's children.

How could they be here when she was not?

These were Anakin's children.

How could something so precious come from someone so… twisted?

Bail cradled the babies in his arms, rounding his shoulders unconsciously.

These were Bail's children.

How could they even think of separating them? These two beautiful babies who had lost everything born not minutes into the world.

A broken legacy of secrets and dishonour.

Why hadn't Padmé told him about her marriage? He would have never used that knowledge against her, he would have never shared it with anyone.

Bail didn't bother with a chair, sinking down against the wall crossing his legs, as he tried to hold onto his emotions.

The babies were so small in his arms.

He couldn't stop the tears. But that was okay for now. Later he would have to be strong for Breha, he didn't want to lessen the joy he knew she would feel in becoming a mother with his horror.

"We are going to keep you two safe," he promised them, looking into their delicate sleeping faces, his heart in a single moment was broken and remade, "You're going-" his breath hitched, "You will see peace times in your life. One day, I promise."

He curled around the babes, bringing his head closer to theirs. The sweet smell of newborns, a release of pheromones he knew that was an infant's only measure of defence; _keep us safe, be gentle, don't be angry or sad._

_We need you._

A code written into every adult's mind, in their blood, in their very bones.

Bail closed his eyes. "I am going to keep you both safe," he promised, "for as long as I can, I will keep you safe."

He exhaled, and it was as if the galaxy exhaled with him, the darkness beneath his closed eyelids taking life about him.

He curled around the twins more fully, shielding them from what seemed to be the _literal_ falling apart of the world around them.

A moment later, Bail found himself engulfed in light, and warmth; a familiar breeze swept across his brow.

Hesitantly, Bail straightened.

He blinked uncomprehendingly at the sunlight shining through _his_ bedroom veranda.

He looked down, scared that-

But Leia and Luke were still sound asleep in his arms.

Several aches and pains that Bail hadn't even been aware of, including the tension in his shoulder that he very much _had_ been aware of, dissolved.

And… was he wearing his pyjamas?

Looking around him for a clue, he found himself sitting up in bed and beside him, still asleep, was his wife.

Her dark hair unbraided as only he and her handmaidens ever saw, and she looked…

She looked as beautiful as the day he had married her.

He wanted to stroke her cheek, but his hands were spoken for.

So, Bail sat there.

Just sat.

Wondering by all the darkness in space how he had gotten here.

He took in a clean breath, the familiar smells and atmosphere bringing him, even in his current state.

He had been away from home too long. Breha was right, he spent too much time on Coruscant.

And nothing he had done in his career had meant a damn thing now.

Now that the Republic had become the evil they had supposedly been fighting against.

Breha stirred, her heart shaped face turning toward him, "Bail… my love, don't you ever sleep?"

He gazed at her. He was hurting so much, and she was so beautiful, he felt as if the two realities couldn't possibly exist in the same universe.

His gaze flicked back to the babies.

Breha sat up abruptly, her chemise clinging to her form- was she younger?

She looked literally younger than the last time he had seen her. Not less or more beautiful but…

"Bail, who- wha- why do you have babies with you?"

For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say. Luke was supposed to go with Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan wasn't here and really, Bail disagreed with them being separated.

He knew that standard mindfulness and meditative practices could hide Force sensitives from Seekers.

So he said, "We spoke of adopting…"

Breha's brown eyes went wide, "Bail, I thought we discussed waiting until…"

"A close friend of mine," he said, unable to say Padmé's name just then, "she died giving birth. We will have to keep their history a secret, but Breha, they don't have anyone else."

Because while he was sure Anakin's family were decent enough people, Bail didn't think Tatooine is where either Padmé or a sober Anakin would want their children raised.

She bit her lip, "We could find them homes…"

But he shook his head, "I promised that I would keep them safe."

For a moment, Breha looked torn, but then like light at the break of dawn she smiled and held her arms out.

She claimed Leia first, she made tiny noises but didn't wake. Breha turned into him so he held her and Luke.

The tension in him broke a little further.

For this moment, he could set aside his sorrow.

"What are their names," Breha asked in a hushed tone, liking between the two babies as if she had been granted all the riches of the galaxy.

"She is Leia," he said, shifting them so that his arms were under Breha's as she held both babes, "And this is Luke. Princess and Prince Organa."

Breha seemed to be radiating with delight, and Bail knew that it would take more than an army or a horde of Sith to take the twins from her now. Bail kissed her temple resting his head against hers as they watched the babies.

They were a few hours old and as they began to wake, Bail called for one of the handmaidens to bring them milk.

It took a bit of adjusting but they each got a bottle to the infants and Bail stayed securely wrapped around his wife as if she were the one solid thing in the galaxy.

How had he gotten here?

He kept pushing the question away.

Hours seemed to stretch on into eternity as the morning passed.

Bail found that if he could just keep himself from thinking, then the golden light, then the love that surrounded him was an oasis from the rest of reality.

But that is what Alderaan had always been, a safe harbour in the greed and chaos of the greater galaxy. The one place where crime was never tolerated, where every child had food and shelter, and where if one asked for help, they would receive it.

Sometimes, he wondered why the Jedi would ever choose to live on Coruscant and be surrounded by-

_Don't think._

"Bail, are you alright?" Breha asked.

He turned to her, the lakes sparkling behind her as the breeze swept across the balcony.

He wasn't okay, even if the two babies in her arms marked the most wonderful event of his life.

A knock came at the door, and it was too firm a sound to be one of the handmaidens.

Breha, whose ebony hair was still free, stepped to the edge of the main archway, hiding her from few of the door.

"Come in," Bail called.

One of his guards took one glance at Bail, still in his pyjamas, lowered his gaze, "Pardon the intrusion, your Majesties, but the Senate has been called to an emergency meeting. The Trade Federation has taken hostile measures and is holding Naboo under a blockade. Additionally, they have kidnapped their Queen. Young Queen Padmé Amidala is in grave danger."

Bail couldn't keep the shock of his face, and in an exhale, he said, "Padmé is dead."

Also, Padmé had died a Senator, not the Queen of Naboo.

But his guard bowed lower, "Such a fate has yet to be confirmed. The Senate is voting whether or not to lend aid. We were also informed that Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi have yet to make contact since their attempted negotiations with the Trade Federation."

Bail could only stare in disbelief.

He didn't remember how he had arrived here this morning. He had been on his ship on Naboo, but he had woken- no, he had merely _opened_ _his eyes_ and had found himself home.

Breha spoke softly, "You must go, my love. Naboo is near to being in the Outer Rim, and they are a small planet, the Senate will be inclined to withhold aid."

Bail turned to her, and spoke more on autopilot than active thought as his mind spun with possibilities.

Was he in the past? Did this have something to do with the Force?

He stepped forward to kiss his wife and the foreheads of the twins who were awake but appeared most content in Breha's arms.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he told her.

She smiled up at him, "I love you." She rocked the babies, "And I love them."

He couldn't help but smile back. Giving her one last parting kiss before going to get dressed.

When he checked his data pad, one he hadn't had for about a decade now, the date confirmed is insane suspicion.

But as he stepped back onto his ship, his resolve solidified.

He didn't care if time travel was fact or fiction. He didn't care whether he was dead or alive, so long as he was cognizant, he would act on the assumption that reality he lived was in fact real.

He was going to ruin the Chancellor. Bail would see to the death of an empire before its birth.

He was Alderaanian, Consort to the Queen, Viceroy of Alderaan.

And Alderaan did not tolerate corruption.

* * *

Darth Sidious, Senator Palpatine of Naboo was left to scramble as an anonymous tip shredded the most delicate stage of the plan of the Sith.

"Fix this," Darth Plagueis, Lord of the Sith, Magistrate Hugo Damask II, intoned.

Sidious's office was being torn apart by a Jedi envoy.

They wouldn't find anything, but the accusation, the suspicion of such an investigation would ruin any chance he had at being elected as the next Chancellor.

Sidious used his private comlink that had in an inbuilt inscription.

A small holographic image of his own apprentice, Darth Maul, appeared.

"Master," he said, bowing his head.

Darth Sidious hissed, "Kill the Jedi Master, kill the Queen, and anyone with them. Dispense with stealth. They must not return to Coruscant."

He didn't wait for a response.

The Muun raised his brows at Sidious as he said through his breathing apparatus, "How will that help, Apprentice?"

"Amidala acts as if she is the Senator of Alderaan, not of a small planet on the edge of the Outer Rim."

"You're point being?" Plagueis asked.

"If she returns to stand before the Senate, the Jedi will side with her."

Plagueis narrowed his eyes, "So you feel it too."

Sidious nodded, "There has been a great disturbance in the Force."

* * *

"The choice is yours alone," Shmi was telling her son when Qui-Gon's com went off.

 _-Master, I've been trying to reach you,_ his Padawan said.

"My apologies, Obi-Wan," he said stepping outside, his nerves grating as he felt… something. But he couldn't name what.

There had been a burst of light this morning within the Force, like the birth of starlight.

_-Qui-Gon, this morning, I felt- well, it felt as if the fate of the galaxy had been knocked off its axis._

Qui-Gon smiled, his apprentice, despite his best efforts to train him otherwise, was hyper intoned with Cosmic Force. It didn't surprise him at all that his Padawan would come up with a tangible explanation of what, might very well have been a divergence within the Force.

"I doubt we can do anything about it, Obi-Wan, centre yourself. We can only act on what is before us in the moment."

Qui-Gon couldn't see Obi-Wan roll his eyes, but he felt it across their bond nonetheless.

_-What of the boy you've spoken of?_

Qui-Gon glanced back at the Anakin who was being wrapped tightly in his mother's embrace. He sighed, "I do not know, Obi-Wan. I might tell the Council he is the Chosen One, but truly, I don't hold that highly to prophecy. Prophecies are often just the naming of rhymes throughout history."

 _-Then why are we bringing him back to the Temple at all?_ _Master, I don't mean to question your wisdom, howe-_

Qui-Gon laughed at that, "Oh, but you should, my Padawan. Always question, never trust that anyone is without fault, especially, your Masters. You are a wiser man than I, however, my reasoning in this matter is…" his voice trailed off in sadness, his heart breaking a bit for separating this child from his mother.

_-Yes, Master?_

"He's too powerful, Obi-Wan. If his Force abilities were to manifest at an older age, completely untrained, he could do a great deal of harm to himself and others. Not everyone's sanity can endure such raw power, nor can anyone fully predict what the task the Force entrusts. We, that is us Force sensitives, beyond even the Jedi, are agents of the Force. It is our choice how to use our gifts, but without training, sometimes," he took in a deep breath, remembering all the stories he read within the depths of the archives, knowledge that was not restricted but avoided for the pain it carried. "Sometimes, untrained, the choice of our own actions, our own fates cease to be ours. Even if the boy does not become a Knight, the Order can give him a measure of independence and self determination. I cannot abandon him, Obi-Wan, not if I can spare him a fate that is all too probable."

Obi-Wan was quiet for a long moment.

And that is what Qui-Gon adored about his Padawan, what he bragged about to his Master about.

Obi-Wan did not always speak his mind, but his mind was always his own. He acknowledged his short-comings and his doubts yet rarely let anything slow him down.

A soft nudge from the Force, compelled him to say, "Obi-Wan, I hope you know how proud I am of you. You still have much to learn, but we all do. You have long since been ready for trials. But I admit, it is my own failings that have made me reluctant to hasten our parting."

His Padawan again fell quiet for a moment, - _Qui-Gon, I- Thank you. Being your Padawan has been the greatest honour-_

Qui-Gon didn't feel the phantom darkness until it was upon him. He raised his sabre, the green beam igniting a mili-second in time to catch the absurd weight of the striking red sabre.

 _-Master!_ He heard Obi-Wan's yell from the com in the sand.

He could give no response has he parried with the Dark Sider, no, _Sith_ , in front of him.

The Force sang to him and he immersed himself into, finding the truth of the outcome of this duel even as he fought against it.

He would perish in this encounter. Qui-Gon was a Master Jedi and it wasn't as if he hadn't taken others lives before now.

But he was a diplomat, a protector, at times, a vigilante, but he wasn't a killer, that was not his calling and never had been.

The snarling Zabrak that lunged at him had only one presence within the Force, he was death incarnate.

Qui-Gon had to hold out for Obi-Wan to get here, contrary to himself, Obi-Wan was better in a real fight than he was in a duel. For Ani's and the Queen's sake, he would have to hold out.

His only comfort was that when death did claim him, it would be swift.

* * *

Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived in time to see his Master slain by the thrust of a red sabre.

Sabre in hand, Obi-Wan raced across the sand, horror and despair filling him as the black cowled Zabrak turned his blade on the young Queen disguised as one of her own handmaidens.

But a dark haired woman pulled the girl back, stepping into the sweeping strike of a sabre.

A boy screamed.

Then Obi-Wan was there, stepping into his Master's place as a defender.

It took real effort to give his raging emotions to the Force, but whether a gift or a curse, Obi-Wan always lost his connection with the Force if his emotions began to rule him.

Qui-Gon had once joked that the Dark Side didn't like the taste of him.

He held the amusement of that jest to him, as he let the waves of the Force wash over him.

The Zabrak was nothing like his memories of Xantos. No, this monster had far more control, rage forged down to the most deadly weapons.

A Sith Lord.

Obi-Wan had only recently begun studying Soresu, but the Form itself was less important than the endurance skills and tricks he had been working with. Unlike Ataru, the point was not to win the duel as soon as possible.

Obi-Wan held out longer than the Zabrak clearly expected, his impatientance twisting his features.

Obi-Wan took advantage, swiping his blade clean through the middle of the other's hilt.

The Sith managed to pull back just enough for Obi-Wan's blue blade to miss his face, but the tip cut down from his breastbone to his navel.

To Obi-Wan's amazement, he made no sound of pain as he dropped one sabre to put a hand to his torso in an attempt to keep his innards from falling out.

Obi-Wan didn't give him more time as he pressed the attack. The Sith managed two parries before Obi-wan sliced the top of his hilt to the Sith's red sabre, which resulted in a small explosion as kyber's energy output became imbalance.

They were both thrown back.

Obi-Wan scooped up the Sith's other halved sabre before his enemy could and went at the Zabrak with two blades. But the Sith jumped upward and back with amazing agility given that his blood was darkening the sand.

Obi-Wan did not give chase. Hooking his own sabre, he went to Qui-Gon even as he noted where the Queen and the boy was.

Obi-Wan knew before he reached his Master's side he was already gone.

"I am so sorry, Master," he said as he closed his sightless eyes with his hand. He took his Master's sabre, knowing there was no time to take the body with him.

Obi-Wan stood, and looked at the queen who held the boy to her in a protective gesture as he cried.

Obi-Wan looked to the other person the Zabrak had slain.

The boy's mother.

He went to them slowly. "Are you Anakin Skywalker?" he asked.

He pulled back from Padmé and wiped the tears from his face, averting his eyes from the two charred halves that had once been his mother, "Yes."

"I am Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon's student. I need to get you and her Majesty to safety."

The boy blinked first at him then in confusion at Padmé who was scowling at Obi-Wan's address.

"Was your slave chipped removed?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin turned back to him, nodding. "Padmé removed it."

"Good, and my apologies."

Anakin opened his mouth to ask a question, but Obi-Wan scooped the boy up in his arms, grabbed Padmé's wrist and began running.

He may have bested the Sith, but if the creature came back with a bomb or ship with guns, there wouldn't be a whole lot Obi-Wan could do to protect him.

And he would not risk all their lives for material belongings or for the dead.

* * *

Dooku arrived into the Council chamber as Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi said he would teach the boy.

Mace audibly sighed, "Obi-Wan, the Council agrees the boy should be trained, but that responsibility is not yours to take upon yourself."

"But Qui-Gon-"

"I'll take him," Dooku said. Whatever his late Padawan's wishes had been, Dooku would abide.

The room turned to him, and the boy who Dooku guessed was not an initiate of the Temple, gazed up at him with sorrowful blue eyes.

Dooku knelt before for the boy so he could speak to him at eye-level, "I am Master Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn was one of my Padawans."

The boy straightened his shoulders, "Anakin Skywalker, Mister."

Dooku quirked a brow, and asked, "How old are you, Padawan Skywalker."

"Nine, Sir."

Dooku smiled despite himself. He had been on the verge of leaving the Order for years. The death of his dearest Padawan, the one he had been most proud of, on what should have been a simple trade negation, had been his last straw.

He had every intention of declaring his leave to the Council this night.

But if the Council could accept a nine-year-old into their ranks, then perhaps the Jedi were capable of change.

* * *

Post Summary: From here it is basically an AU, the only time travel aspect is Bail stressing and the weirdness of many decades from now someone doing a blood test on Luke and Leia, because, what even? This story takes off at 13 BBY with Luke and Leia as the main characters.

* * *

AN: I know another fic, but coming up with story ideas is what I do when I need to escape the demons in my mind. Thoughts, ideas, gazelles, or feedback, pretty please?


	2. Princess Leia

KEYnotes:  **Luke and Leia** are the main characters of this story. This story really starts rolling at  **13BBY** . While they will get involved with Jedi they aren't the primary focus. As such, you're going to see a lot of characters from Rogue One and even some from the Mandalorian. 

Chapter 2 - Princess Leia

It had been ten years. Ten wonderful, impossibly bright and beautiful years.

To say that Luke and Leia were hyperactive kids would be a massive understatement. Yet no one could say they weren't heavy sleepers.

The twins were currently collapsed on the end of Bail and Braha's bed.

They had just barely gotten them out of their ceremonial dresses and tunics by the time they started retelling each other the perspective views of the night's events. For two kids who spent nearly every waking moment with each other, they were incredibly different people.

They both had tempers, but Leia’s was… more like Anakin’s if Bail were being honest. But Leia was also incredibly intelligent, not that Luke wasn’t. But Leia knew how to read a room and had a mind for history, politics, and logistics. It was not a bad thing that the throne would fall on Leia due to her gender, not the twins’ order of birth. As much as she was Bail and Breha’s daughter, she was also still very much Padme’s.

Luke was Leia’s mirror, having inherited Padme’s more easy-going temperament, but Anakin’s skill in flying and a certain set of skills that Bail worried might lead Luke to the military one day. Although Luke was near abysmal at politics, he was very good at making friends and keeping everyone around him smiling.

Bail was completely convinced that if it hadn’t been for Luke, Leia would have alienated everyone at their school and, perhaps, declared war on Bail’s well-meaning sisters.

Luke, unlike Leia, always followed the rules and never complained about the fussier aspects of being royalty.

However, neither of the Skywalker children liked sitting still for long.

Breha touched his back, “Bail, you need to let go.”

He turned to her, “Breha, I’v-”

She touched his lips, “Yes, you have told me, you have shared with me everything. But Bail, the Jedi know the Sith are real. Palpatine and Darth Maul have fled to the far reaches of the galaxy. There is  _ no _ clone army. We’ve seen a normal reign of one Chancellor, now the beginning of a second. The worst has been avoided.”

“You don’t know that,” he said.

Breha sighed, pulling him to their balcony, “Enough, Bail. You are from one future. A single path. It is as the Jedi say, the future is always in motion. You have done all you can. But my love, that future could never be as it was. Every bad thing in the galaxy is not your fault. The Jedi’s numbers are growing, they are training for combat against other Force users, they are even training for military combat. Nothing can be as it had been.”

He lowered his voice, “I would feel better if Palpatine was dead.”

She lowered her voice further, “I still can’t believe you hired assassins.”

He, almost, smirked, “I can’t believe nobody has even suspected me.”

Though if anyone had been taking bets, the Senator of  _ Alderaan _ would likely be no one’s first choice in the assassination of a Nubian Senator.

Before the time travel, they would even be right.

Breha took his hand turning him to look at the twins, his two beautiful, happy, healthy children with no inkling to the circumstances of their birth.

Breha wrapped herself around his waist and he curled around her as she said, “It is time to let your past go. I need you here with us, they need you.”

He rested his cheek against her hair, “They are going to be this young forever, they are already becoming restless, Alderaan might not be enough to hold them.”

Breha pulled back from him to meet his gaze, “Well then it is a good thing it will be a long time until I’m ready to pass on my title. I already know Leia will follow in your footsteps, and Coruscant is more than enough for anyone with her gifts.”

“And Luke?”

Her expression softened, “We are raising them right, Bail. Wherever the stars lead him, he will always be our son.”

The only answer he could give to that was to kiss his wife, and vow to himself that he would start living for the present.

It was, after all, all they had.

* * *

_ 9 Years Later - 7964 CRC - 13 BBY - the Twins are 19 _

* * *

Leia was finally,  _ finally _ , on Coruscant with her father.

Why Luke had been allowed to leave at fourteen and she hadn’t been allowed to, still bothered her. But that didn’t matter now, she was here.

As her father had said, it wasn’t, well it lacked all the beauty, natural wonders, and well, it wasn’t Alderaan.

But Princess Leia Organa hadn’t come to Coruscant to take in the sights or delights. She had come here to change the galaxy.

Well, help her father change the Republic for the better, at any rate.

Papa had smiled at her all the way through the morning secession as she took an excess of notes from her datapad.

She knew she was being foolish. There were people paid to simply transcribe these sessions and all of those were stored both in the Senate and Jedi’s archives, however, Leia wanted practice taking her own notes and annotations, so that when she did need to take notes it was second nature and not a distraction.

Stretching her fingers, Papa took her datapad, slipping it into his robes as they walked to a sky cab. 

However, on route, a cowled figure stopped them as they passed.

“Ah, Obi-Wan,” Papa greeted with true warmth.

Leia felt her own gaze went wide. She knew there were many Jedi on Coruscant, she knew also that Papa had many friends among them, but still…

“Bail, my friend, I was wondering if you might have a moment?” the sandy blonde haired man replied with a sardonic smile that was nonetheless kind.

Something about him reminded Leia painfully of her brother.

“Certainly,” Papa said, turning to her as he said, “Leia, this Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and High Council Member of the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan, this is my daughter, Princess Leia Organa.”

The Jedi  _ High Council Member _ bowed to her. She dipped into a curtsy, but even for a Jedi, could bring herself to do so longer than a few moments.

Bowing really wasn’t her thing.

Papa continued before they could say anything, “She has come to Coruscant to replace me.”

Leia opened her mouth to protest, but Master Kenobi laughed, “Oh, I don’t know, Bail, I have it on good authority that it is the popular opinion that there are never enough Organas in the galaxy.”

Papa raised a brow, “Which is why I suppose you’ve been assigned guard duty for the evening?”

Master Kenobi inclined his head, “You’ve caught me. But we cannot afford to lose you, Bail. You have done too much for the Senate and the Jedi to lose you.”

Leia spun on her father, “Papa! You told Mama that the death threats had stopped.”

Senator Bail Organa shrugged, “The assassination attempts just mean I’m doing my job correctly. You should have seen the Trade Federations expressions when they lost their Senate seat.”

Leia was both proud and horrified.

“From the stories your father has told me, Princess,” Master Kenobi said, “You will have no fewer ripples in your chosen profession.”

She straightened her shoulders, “Did you apprehend the assailants?”

He smiled, “Many, but not all, as I said, your father is a very popular man.”

“Where is your own shadow, Obi-Wan?” Bail asked. “I so rarely see the two of you apart on assignment.”

The humour and… life, seemed to melt away from the Jedi Master before them. To Leia, it seemed as if he dimmed.

She wanted badly to take his hand and help him fend off the sorrow.

But they were strangers, and the Jedi were  _ other _ .

“My apprentice has chosen to leave the Order,” he said in such a mild tone, Leia almost flinched.

Papa did reach out a hand to place on the other man’s shoulder, “I am so sorry, Obi-Wan. Did she give a reason?”

Master Kenobi sighed, “She fell in love.”

Papa squeezed his shoulder before taking his hand back, “Do you approve?”

Master Kenobi shook his head, “I don’t know who it is, I only know she left for the Outer Rim with him. I am disappointed, of course, but I would never stop her from following her heart. I only wish…” He sighed, “Well, I fear that my responsibilities on the Council may have put too much distance between us. It bothers me that I was unaware of this attachment of hers.”

Leia didn’t like the way he said attachment, “Do the Jedi really believe falling in love is bad?”

“ _ Leia _ ,” Papa warned, chastising her for the bold question.

But Master Kenobi did not seem offended, “No, it is what love can lead to that becomes problematic, for people of our powers and status with the Republic. My Padawan has made the responsible choice, by leaving the Order, she has freed her lover from the dangers being associated with the Jedi can bring.”

“Such as?” Leia pressed.

Master Kenobi smiled sadly but Papa answered, “Such as targeting a Knight’s loved ones in the Order to get at the Order, Senate, or wider Republic. As I have told you, Leia, Coruscant is a dangerous place for you to be, not simply because the planet can be a dangerous place, but as my daughter, you may be targeted.”

Leia nodded, she knew that, but it had always seemed like normal parents worry for their child. But hearing it from a Master Jedi of Kenobi’s standing was different.

Hell, seeing that the Jedi were worried enough about her father that they would assign a guard worried her.

“Come,” Master Kenobi said, “I’m holding you up, Master Skywalker is already at the diner with Senator Amidala.”

Leia perked up at that. She adored Padme Amidala who visited them on Alderaan occasionally. 

She also knew a secret that Master Kenobi may not know.

Master Anakin Skywalker had not made the ‘responsible decision’ in secretly wedding Padme Amidala.

But, Padme had assured them that Anakin’s Master, Dooku, who was also a High Council Member, knew of their arrangement.

“It seems I will be meeting everyone of importance today,” Leia said as they continued walking.

Master Kenobi laughed, “Yes, I must say, it isn’t often Senators get a committee together that the Jedi take such an active part in.”

“We can only hope the bill passes soon,” Bail said.

“I don’t understand why it hasn’t,” Leia said, knowing there was too much heat in her words.

Master Kenobi looked grim as held a cab door open for them, “The Military Defense bill, is where the extra resistance has been coming from.”

Leia found herself in the middle seat between Master Kenobi and Papa. Their arms touching, Leia felt something…

She had a sense of Master Kenobi like she could only find during her daily meditations.

Growing up, she had hated meditating, but she had done it because Luke had done it and the times she had willingly admitted to her brother being better at her in anything could be named on a single hand.

Now, mediation was such a habitable part of her daily routine she didn’t even think about it.

Master Kenobi continued, “The Jedi Order has been increasing its numbers. We’ve taken in more Force sensitives than ever before as we send more Seekers into the Outer Rim and further, many of whom are older. We’ve even started taking in orphans who have Force abilities that may have been overlooked in the past as the Corps are growing steadily too. But we are not enough to protect the entire Republic from the growing unrest.”

“That is no reason to force clone soldiers to work for us,” Leia snapped.

Master Kenobi nodded, “I agree, which is why this movement is so important to pass. I’ve spoken with many of the clones on Kamino, the oldest among them is twenty-three years of age. It would seem all of them would choose to stay in the military, they know nothing else. But it is vital they have a choice, now and throughout their careers. Otherwise…”

“It sanctifies slavery to an unprecedented degree?” Leia offered.

“Exactly.”

“Chancellor Damask has such few powers in his position now ever since the near miss with Senator Palpatine, Darth Sidious,” Master Kenobi went on, “That it doesn’t seem to matter which bill he supports as he is prevented from speaking on the matter until after the votes have been cast.”

Papa sighed, “I know I was a part of the limiting of the Chancellor’s powers, but perhaps we did go a bit far.”

“Or maybe not,” Master Kenobi countered, “perhaps we would be worse off if he did have the power to sway the vote rather than direct its implementations.”

The Chancellor’s position had basically become the figure head responsible for making sure everyone else was doing their job. So far, not much had actually changed with that except when there were two extreme directions brought before the Senate, the Chancellors all made use of their ‘impartial’ position.

Personally, Leia thought the Chancellor should be partial to the sanctity of life and sustainable peace, but what did she know?

Papa sighed, “I often feel that there are too many wrong answers and not enough clear ones.”

Master Kenobi, ever quick with a smile, laughed, “You and me both, my friend, you and me both.”

An not altogether uncomfortable silence fell between them and Leia let it be as she thought over the conversation.

Papa never seemed to have a bad word to say about the Jedi, but however positive his opinion of them was, he did not speak of them often.

Leia glanced at Master Kenobi whose attention was unfocused on the traffic zipping by under the sun, she wondered why that was.

She imagined the near stranger sitting beside her had quite a few stories or even legends to be told about him.

When they arrived at the diner, Leia was immediately surprised to find it was, in fact, a  _ diner _ . The smell of grease and fried food was both enticing and terrifying.

She was wearing white.

Fighting not to glare at her father or worry about what the rest of the evening Senate meeting would be like with a grease stain on her dress, she quickly spotted Padme, who was wearing black.

She was so going to tell her Aunts about this, Papa wouldn’t be smiling then.

Padme was sitting beside a large man who wore dark robes, Padme’s husband, and a tall Togruta woman, Leia knew was Ahsoka.

Padme, unlike her father, told her  _ lots _ of stories about the Jedi.

Papa, Leia, and Master Kenobi all slid into the booth.

From there, they made rather informal greetings.

After which, Padawan Ahsoka Tano grinned at Leia, “Padme has told us so much about you, Princess Leia.”

Leia smiled back, the happiness radiating off of the other female, and again Leia sensed that strangeness she got off Kenobi.

Maybe Jedi were just that different from everyone else.

“Likewise, but Padme doesn’t visit nearly enough,” Leia said.

Padme laughed, “You’ve just been bored since Luke left.”

Leia stiffened, “He left nearly six years ago. I have not been bored for  _ six  _ years.”

“No,” Papa grumbled, “just driving your poor parents mad.”

She glared at him.

Ahsoka looked worried, “Whose Luke?”

“My twin brother,” Leia answered, not really wanting to talk about him.

“And by left, you mean?” Anakin prompted.

“To the Corellian Republic Academy,” Papa supplied, “He just graduated actually, he will be returning home for a time before he is given his official station.”

“Isn’t that a Military Academy?” Anakin asked, “That’s different. I mean Corellia is still a Core world, but for a Prince of Alderaan...”

Feeling diffensive, Leia said, “My brother believes the same thing as the Jedi, that peace is worth fighting for.”

She didn’t disagree with her brother. In fact, he had been slipping her research assignments for years. Learning military tactics  _ was _ unusual for any Royal of Alderaan.

But who said they couldn’t be good at war  _ and _ peace.

Anakin laughed, “No offense meant, Princess.” He caught Papa’s gaze, “You must miss him terribly.”

Papa sighed, “We do, but he had his heart set on it.”

“But why Corellia?” Ahsoka asked. “There are other academies that are less, rough and tumble. Even here on Coruscant.”

“Corellia Academy had a better piloting program, and a family friend of ours attended there. He was part of the reason Luke wanted to join the military at all.”

“Oh?” Master Kenobi asked as the drinks arrived, “I don’t think I’ve heard this story.”

“We were on a mercy mission, and we had just left the Mandalore system when we were set upon by pirates,” Papa began.

“And Captain Estrado was one of those pirates,” Leia added pleasantly.

“He was also fifteen,” Papa chided.

“But then he met Luke, and my brother quickly converted him to our side. He and Luke took the ship back in an hour.”

Anakin grinned, “How old were you?”

“Ten,” Papa said grimly, “serves me right for taking them with me, the two of them find enough trouble on Alderaan.”

“No one got hurt,” Leia defended.

Papa eyed her, “I know a few pirates who may disagree with you, my dear.”

Leia shrugged, “Anyway, Estrado was Luke’s hero and when Papa set him up with a place at the Academy, of course, that’s where Luke wanted to go too.”

She loved her brother, but he wasn’t heir to the Alderaan throne, well, not unless Mama, Papa, and she died first. Watching him leave was the first time she had ever truly resented her brother or her position.

Because Luke had left somewhere where she could not follow.

Although she would never tell her parents, she would never want them to think their titles were a burden to her as she knew it was something they feared about having children, but Leia would have gone to Corellia with Luke if she had had a choice.

“At the very least,” Papa said, “we know Luke will be stationed with his friends. Captain Estrado and Lieutenant Shand may be ahead of my son in years, but Luke was top of his class and he is the finest star pilot in the galaxy.”

Anakin smirked, and for a moment, Leia thought the hue and shape of his eyes matched Luke’s perfectly, “Has he won any races?”

Leia shook her head, “Of course not, he’s in the military, outside of flying demonstrations and patrolling with his team, he is not permitted to compete in races.”

Anakin’s smug look grew, “It is my experience, Princess, that people who fly by the rules don’t improvise well enough.”

Leia smiled sweetly at him, “And it is my experience, Master Skywalker, that those who aren’t good enough can only improvise or risk revealing their incompetence.”

Master Kenobi snorted his drink, covering his face with his sleeve he seemed to be struggling to reign himself in.

Anakin pointed a finger at the other Master, “Don’t you start. I don’t improvise all the time.”

Master Kenobi lost all vestiges of composure as Padme and Papa began to laugh as well.

Anakin spoke over their laughter, “Obi-Wan improvises too!”

Master Kenobi only laughed harder.

“Snips, back me up here.”

Ahsoka sipped her milkshake from a straw before saying coolly, “I’m sorry, my Master, but when the shoe fits…”

Anakin glared over Padme’s head at his Padawan, “Traitor.”

Ahsoka smiled at him, “Only to your self-delusions of grandeur, Skyguy.”

Leia hid a smile, she liked these people. Ever since Luke had left, she had felt a bit cut adrift, not lost exactly. But it had been somewhat lonely, maybe her life on Coruscant would be a fresh start.

* * *

Note: Leia and Luke 19, Ahsoka 23, Anakin is 28, Padme 33, Obi-Wan 44.

* * *

AN: Thoughts, beluga whales, feedback, or conspiracy theories? :D


	3. Prince Luke

FORCE SENSITIVES: Leia and Luke have never been near Jedi before and Bail had the  **meditating to subdue** their concentrated presence in the Force. They can be sensed it just isn’t immediate and you would have to be looking for it.

No one in Luke’s squadron is over the age of twenty-eight.

* * *

KEYnote: The clones  **age normally,** like Boba Fett.

* * *

AN:Thank you Nauze! I realized this story is basically a crossover between the  _ Original Trilogy  _ and  _ the Prequels. _

* * *

**WARNING:** This story will get darker than my others. There is a slave arc, nothing truly explicit happens that wasn’t in the Clone Wars, but there are heavy emotional fallouts. This is not a fluff, feel-good story. So don’t bark when the shit hits the jets.

* * *

A long time ago in a Galaxy, Far, 

Far Away…

Episode I - The Monarchs of Alderaan

The Republic has changed since the attempted assassination of Senator Palpatine of Naboo by the Crimson Dawn Crime Syndicate. An attempt so public, it forced Darth Sidious to reveal his incredible Force powers. The Jedi scour the Galaxy unsuccessfully for any presence of the Sith as they themselves prepare for a reckoning a thousand years in the making. 

The Separatist Movement grows in strength on the Outer Rim, a looming galactic civil war has every system on high alert, yet still crime is slipping through the cracks. The Senate debates the choice between outlawing all forms of slavery within the Republic and buying a clone army. 

Unknown to the Jedi Order or to the Republic, the Sith have embedded themselves in the Core itself. The Rule of Two has been broken and the Sith are preparing for war, not against their ancient enemies, the Jedi, but against each other. 

On a central planet, Corellia, known both for its military excellence and crime rings, a secret Imperial movement has arisen. In the Corellia Republic Academy, there are two types of soldiers, those under command of Darth Sidious who will dogmatically fight to topple democracy, and those who will be given a choice between fighting with their brothers or death.

Prince Luke Organa, Flight Lieutenant of Krate Squadron, has been long protected by his adoptive family and good nature. But sides must be chosen. As he and his twin sister, Leia, Junior Senator and Princess of Alderaan, come to the attention of the Jedi and the Sith, they will discover that their hidden heritage is a heavier weight to bear than any throne and what they do not control, will be controlled by others.

Chapter 3 - Prince Luke

“I cannot wait to get off this rock,” Squadron Leader Fennec Shand said icily, polishing her sniper rifle for the dozenth time.

“You mean,” Group Captain Poe Estrado said, staring up at the glass ceiling of one of the pilot lounges on the academy grounds, “this metal husk of a rock.”

He sounded so bored, Luke almost laughed, “You realize we will only be gone for a week, right?”

“I don’t see why I have to go with you people,” a regrettably familiar voice said.

Luke turned to see a pilot his own age with styled hair and opened uniform vest.

Poe sat up, grabbing his pack at his feet, “Finally, Rookie, you’re late.”

The rankless pilot scowled at him, “I have a name and I still don’t understa-”

“Shand, this is Rookie Han Solo, Rookie, these are your commanding officers Fennec Shand and-”

“His Highness,” Han said with an unappreciative look, “Yeah, I know who the goodie-two-shoes is, but why am I here?”

“Because,” Poe said with a jovial pat on Han's back, “Us four are orphans and we are on mandatory leave. As for some Force-forsaken reason, you have been placed in our Squadron, you’re coming with us.”

The subtext being that no one in their right mind would leave Han alone. Corellian Academy had been changing its rules over the last few years. Unlike most academies, such as those on Coruscant, there was no unmentored time for non-graduates and very few holidays. Luke could count on a single hand the number of times he had seen his family in person over the last six years. 

One week seemed short but it was thrice the amount of time he had been previously given.

Han still hadn't graduated so he was Poe's responsibility.

“I thought you said we were going home with the Prince,” Han said, pronouncing the word ‘Prince’ like a derogatory slur.

Luke still hadn’t figured out, despite the years they had shared at the academy, if Han hated Alderaan -for some absurd reason- or whether he was such as a numbskull as to not have realized that Luke was the  _ actual _ Prince of Alderaan.

Not that the title meant a whole lot. He was proud to be an Organa, but as far as his title went, all it meant was that he was Leia’s brother. There was no role for him to fill in the government or for his people.

Not that he enjoyed politics well enough to even want such a role.

“We are,” Shand said, her dark braid whipping over her shoulder as she led the way to the docking bay. “Let’s move.”

Luke swallowed a smile, Shand never liked it when he was overly amused by her hostility. 

He was pretty sure Leia was either going to love or hate Fennec Shand. Poe and Luke were just making bets on when Shand would finally get fed up taking orders and become a freelance assassin.

“But you just said he was an  _ orphan _ ,” Han stressed.

Luke rolled his eyes, “Yes, and I was adopted. Now would you  _ please _ grow up? If you are this rude in front of my family, I swear I’ll have you locked up in detention.”

Han scowled at him, “Are you really that rich that you have a detention centre in your mansion?”

_ Well,  _ Luke thought,  _ guess that answers one question. _

Han had known Luke for four years, and managed to not research the name  _ Prince Luke Organa of Alderaan _ .

Poe gave Luke an amused open silent expression of ‘keep the joke rolling’.

So Luke did. Sniffing, he said, “A mansion? Please, Solo. I am a  _ prince _ and our  _ palace _ has many holding cells.”

“I have a preference for the dungeons,” Poe said seriously.

Luke chuckled, “It’s Alderaan, the Mountain Palace doesn’t have dungeons.”

“Correction, my sweet Lieutenant,” Poe jested even as he directed Han forcibly by the shoulder to the docking bay, “your people just aren’t crass enough to call them dungeons, but that’s what they are.”

“How does an Alderaan runt even wind up on Corellia?” Han asked.

Han had asked Luke this question before, multiple times in fact, but more as a way to pick a fight rather than as a teammate.

Force help them all for putting them in the same Squadron. The only reason Han had even been allowed onto the team was that he was a good shot and an above average pilot. The academy didn’t like to waste talent, so despite Han’s pending graduation status and truly abysmal in-class grades and reputation for his  _ lack _ of taking orders, Han Karking Solo was being released into the skies.

“Hey, I’m talking to you, kid!”

Luke spun on him, pointing a finger in the taller boy’s face, “We are the same age,  _ Han _ . But let's have something perfectly clear between us,  _ I outrank you _ . So if you make a spectacle of yourself on Alderaan, I will make your life a living hell.”

Luke wasn’t sure what would have happened next, probably something that would have gotten Han either punched in the gut by Poe or shot in the head by Shand.

But they were all saved by the pitter patter of feet and the excited cry of,  _ “Prince Luke!” _

Han rolled his eyes.

Luke, on the hand, turned to catch little Jyn Erso up in his arms.

Her delighted laugh as he spun her brought back fond memories of his own childhood.

Settling the girl on his hip, he asked, “And what trouble does Lady Erso need rescuing from today?”

Jyn put a hand to her forehead and swooned over his arm as she said dramatically, “Presentations!”

Luke chuckled as he caught sight of a harried Lyra running into the corridor.

The exasperated scientist approached saying, “Honestly, I don’t know how she always manages to find you.”

Luke grinned, “It’s no problem, Lyra, really.”

Lyra’s lips thinned, glancing over her shoulder before she asked, “You wouldn’t mind watching her for a bit, would you, Luke?”

Jyn had become a pretty consistent study buddy for Luke over the years as both her parents tended to have some issues multitasking while doing their own research and Corellia wasn’t exactly known for its daycare surfaces.

Jyn had even attended a few classes with Luke, the teachers not minding for two reasons, one, Jyn was a quiet kid when she needed to be and two, the Erso family were the resident geniuses. Rumour had it that the Corellia Academy had to offer a  _ substantial _ salary to lure them away from the Coruscant Academy. 

“I wouldn’t mind,” Luke said, Jyn being somewhat of a little sister to him, “but I’m about to leave off world.”

Lyra blinked, clearly forgetting that he had just graduated, “They are sending you on assignment already?”

“Just on vacation, Doctor Erso,” Poe said, as fond of the Ersos as Luke, “We are off to see Luke’s family on Alderaan.”

“Alderaan,” Lyra repeated, again glancing over her shoulder, “how long?”

“Just a week,” Luke said.

“Could Jyn come with you?”

Jyn let out a squeal of delight, “I’m going to be a princess!”

Luke laughed, “Of course, she can. Do you need to check in with Galen?”

Lyra shook her head, “No, no, the convention is this week and he’s scrambling on secondary projects to make it presentable and translatable.” She kissed first Jyn’s cheek and then Luke’s, “Be good, Stardust. Thanks, Luke.” She saluted them, “Bye, Poe.”

“Bye, Doctor Erso!” Poe called as Lyra departed the way she had arrived, in a swirl of white robes.

Han, who couldn't seem to ever keep his mouth shut, began, “I thought you said we were leaving, we don’t have time to get the girl’s stuff packe-”

Luke rolled his eyes and started walking down the docks, certain that the engines that had just started up were the product of Shand’s impatience. 

“And who just gives somebody their kid?” Han blathered on.

Poe slapped Han’s back so hard, the hotshot was momentarily too winded to speak.

But it was Jyn who answered, “Because, he is  _ Prince _ Luke.”

Jyn was the only reason anyone in the academy even knew he was from a royal family. The name Organa was well known, just so rarely associated with the military that until Jyn started addressing him as ‘Prince’, did anyone think to put the two things together.

Han was not one of those people.

The flight from Coriella was not a long one. Jyn dominated that time with a stream of talking about what she was going to tell Princess Leia who she would be meeting for the first time in person.

Jyn actually talked with his twin sister more than he did, because unlike him, Jyn had both free time and was allowed to send holograph messages in mass.

Luke loved Leia for welcoming Jyn’s contact, the stars knew, Jyn didn’t have a lot of friends in the labs or in the rest of the academy.

Han broke his record silence, “Oh, would you all stop humouring her. Girl, you ain’t going to meet no princess.”

Jyn looked to Luke, fisting his uniform, “But Luke! You promised Leia would be there!”

“She will be,” Luke reassured, then whispered in her ear, “Han doesn’t believe I’m really a prince.”

Jyn looked back at Han and broke down in hapless giggles.

“We’ll be there soon, Majesty,” Shand said, “Better go powder your nose.”

Luke rolled his eyes and Poe called, “Hey Jyn, come take the co-pilot seat, Fennec needs time to disarm.”

Shand didn’t protest and Jyn skipped over to the co-pilot seat as Poe began explaining all the buttons and what he was doing.

“Whoa, what do you mean disarming?” Han said, looking worried as Luke passed his blasters to Shand who was the weapons expert, if not just among them, but of the entire Academy.

“It’s Alderaan,” Shand said coldly, “no weapons will be allowed off the ship. The only reason we are even able to fly a fighter of this size this near the palace is because of Luke.”

“I am not giving up my blaster.”

“Then you aren’t getting off this ship,” Shand said without looking up at him.

Han crossed his arms, directing his ire at Luke, “So your adopted folks really are loaded then, huh?”

Luke sighed and said with dripping sarcasm, “As fun as it is to be called an orphan, Han, don’t talk about it in front of my parents, my father especially.” He lowered his voice so Jyn didn’t overhear. “My birth mother died in childbirth and she was a close friend of his.”

Luke didn’t like telling Han anything about his personal life, but if he was coming to dinner, he would be enough of an embarrassment without hitting on a topic that was so personal for his father.

Han looked a little, pale, “Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Just don’t talk to my parents unless they address you directly. There isn’t going to be time to teach anything about court etiquette, so just eat with your mouth closed. In fact, just keep your mouth closed as much as possible. And don’t address any of them, especially my sister, by anything but their titles or Majesties.”

“Stop trying to help him,” Shand protested, “He’s going to be my main source of entertainment at supper.”

Luke shook his head, this was going to be a disaster, on the plus side, he realized it would only be for a few meals over the week. 

Grabbing the box Leia had shipped him, he went to the back room. The dove grey tunic was fitted, and while he would never be as large a man as their father, he had no shame about his body.

And though he would never admit it to anyone but his parents and sister, he liked the cloaks. The one Leia had packed for him was darker grey embroidered with silver thread around the hemline.

His pants were darker and his black boots had a slight heel to him.

Glancing in the mirror, he smiled a bit.

After dressing for the military so long, he thought the court finery would feel more awkward than it always had. But now that he had graduated? Somehow, his finery felt more- more correct somehow. Like he had earned it.

He wasn’t just Leia’s brother. Leia served their people and the Republic in her way and he would serve it in his.

He came out still adjusting the bracers because of course Leia would send him something reflective. They were in the process of landing and Luke didn’t bother to take a seat as he set his feet to balance for the dissension. 

Han was strapped in and looked at him, his mouth slightly agape. When they landed, the Corellian native asked, “Who the hell do you think you are?” 

Poe hit the ramp, and an entourage was there to greet them.

Luke was the first one out.

Dimly, he heard, Poe say, “Jyn, wait, we have to go through security.”

Luke didn’t wait, going right for Leia whose smile was a mix of joy and anger.

He wasn’t sure she would ever forgive him for leaving, but as they met in an embrace, he knew it didn’t matter.

Nothing, not time, space, nor decision could ever truly keep them apart. He kissed his sister’s head, a rightness filling his being, as if he could breathe more fully.

Or maybe that was just the lack of air pollution on Alderaan.

Luke pulled back from her before reaching for his mother’s hand. Unlike his sister’s airy white gown, his mother wore a flowing dress of deepest purples.

In private, Mama had a bear hug that could break a man’s spine, but as a queen before her subjects, he was only allowed to kiss her hand and she could only kiss his cheeks.

“Welcome home, my son. You have been dearly missed.”

Luke bowed his head to her, “I’ve missed you too, Mother.”

As Viceroy, Papa didn’t blink at formalities, but then he didn’t have to sweat in such elaborate dresses as Mama was wearing now. As he pulled Luke into a tight hug, he said, “You stayed away too long, Luke.”

Luke pulled back, “I’m glad to be home.”

There was an awkward pause as the words  _ for now _ laid heavily between them all.

Luke could have had a life of luxury, could have helped on humanitarian and running aid missions.

Instead, he had chosen a profession that his entire culture abhorred. He was perhaps one of the less popular royals.

Papa turned to greet the rest of their guests.

Jyn was first, Leia curtsied to the little girl, and said with a fond smile, “Your Majesty Erso.”

Jyn made a very serious face, and curtsied back.

Poe had nearly laughed himself to death when Luke had to teach her how to curtsy properly.

He and Leia had attended the same etiquette classes.

“Princess Leia of Alderaan,” Jyn said primly, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

Leia held out her arms and got a hug.

Mama greeted, “Ah, your mother wasn’t lying when we spoke last. You are quite the young lady, Jyn.”

Luke grinned as the bold girl blushed and said shyly, “Hi, Queen Breha, Mommy told me to tell you, you have the prettiest dresses.”

Mama’s smile was rarely an exuberant expression, but the smile she gave Jyn reached her brown eyes that even on her best court day, she could never fake.

“Hey, Pirate,” Papa called to Poe as the other three came down the ramp. “Still terrorizing the skies I see.”

Poe bowed, “Hey Bail, still demolishing the Senate I hear.”

Shand looked like a dancer in her black uniform that was very plain for her lack of adornments of various arsenals. She saluted Luke’s family, and they inclined their head.

And that was Squadron Leader’s Fennec Shand at her kindest.

Han was glaring at the guards who had likely had to forcibly take his weapons from him so he didn’t look up until Leia passed Jyn over to the Auntie’s who had all promised Jyn a tour of the palace.

Jyn Erso was a bit of a celebrity in the Organa family.

Luke was pretty sure it was because Jyn was spying on him and relating the information back to his family. Luke was also pretty sure Lyra, and possibly Galen were in on it too.

“What?” Han asked.

Leia turned on him, “Who are you?”

“The rookie,” Poe said, “Han Solo.”

Han could only stare at them all in incomprehension, then asked the stupid question, “You mean he’s the  _ actual _ Prince of Alderaan?”

Leia gave him a scornful look, before taking Luke’s arm and leading him up to the main palace.

Dismissing Han in the way she had been crushing boys’ souls since Luke could remember.

He kissed her cheek and said, “Love you, Sis.”

She smiled up at him, “Course you do, and one day, you’ll love me enough not to leave.”

His smile fell, but before he could press her, Papa had an arm around them both as they walked the stoned path.

“It’s good to have you both in the same spot,” he said, and Luke felt guilty as he realized that maybe he hadn’t served that great of a place in the Alderaanian government.

But perhaps he did have a place where he was needed within his family, and he had let them down by not being here.

He had been so focused on his studies, on being the best in everything he did, that the last six years had flown by for him.

A lot, he realized, could happen in six years.

* * *

AN: So I’ve decided to write this fic from only Luke and Leia’s perspectives. I am definitely going to be doing some prose experimentation.

Thoughts, ideas, requests, or Amazon botos?


End file.
